Falcons’ Darnell Mooney: ‘I didn’t really come here for 1,000 yards. I came here to win’

Mooney caught 64 of 106 targets (51.9%) for 992 yards and five touchdowns. He missed the regular-season finale with a shoulder injury that caused him to miss the 1,000-yard mark.

Mooney, who was a fifth-round NFL draft pick out (173rd overall) out of Tulane in 2020, had 1,055 yards receiving for the Bears in 2021.

He was elated to be at practice Tuesday at the start of the Falcons’ organized team activities.

“It was good moving around,” Mooney said. “Getting acclimated to everybody being in the huddle, getting out the huddle fast enough. Just understanding the beginning of the play and all that.”

Mooney is making sure that he’s paying attention to the details.

“Actually, just like you have to slow yourself down because you want to go so fast and just get things rolling, but you have to understand that you’ve got to start at square one again,” Mooney said.

Mooney will save his expectations for a follow-up season for later.

“Nothing right now,” he said. “I’m just trying to figure out what we can do best in OTAs. Figure out our identity again. Figure out what we can do best.”

Mooney has scouted what worked well for him last season.

His critique was thorough.

“I did pretty well with the deep routes, and the biggest thing that I want to do is catch the ball and take something to the (end zone),” Mooney said. “Make at least three people miss, have some exciting plays.”

Mooney has been putting in some extra work with quarterback Michael Penix Jr. He’s been impressed with the second-year signal-caller.

“The deep ball,” Mooney said. “He throws the ball very, very far. He has a strong arm. He can get it out whenever he needs to. Like, if it feels like he’s late, he won’t be late. He can get the ball there in time.”

Penix and Mooney are trying to get on the same page.

“It’s going very well,” Mooney said. “It’s some things that he’s learning now and last year from me, either talking to (former starting quarterback) Kirk (Cousins), or now I’m talking to him. It can be something like, ‘Hey, well, what do you think here? Or what did I think we could do better here?’ So, it’s just a conversation and just communication.”

Penix is looking forward to continuing to work with Mooney.

“It’s been great,” Penix said. “He’s a guy that’s been willing to work. I appreciate those type of guys who are willing to do the extra (practice). Hit my phone and say they want to throw. It’s been good, and it’s been growing. He’s a good dude, too.”

Penix is using the OTA time wisely with his receivers.

“Excited,” Penix said. “We got to be out there against the defense working some real football, not just routes on air.”

The two players probably are not going to come to a meeting of the mind’s over their locker room musical selections.

Penix leans into hip-hop music.

“I’m an all-around genre guy,” Mooney said. “So, he doesn’t really like when I play something, you know, out of his genre.”

Mooney has been impressed with Penix’s dancing skills.

“He’s from Florida,” said Mooney, who’s from Gadsden City, Alabama. “So, you know all the Florida guys, you know, they’ve got pretty good dancing skills. So, except for Ray-Ray (McCloud).”

Mooney is looking forward to the season.

“Well, I was in my villain era last year, (but the Pro Football Writers Association) gave me the good-guy award,” Mooney said. “So, that didn’t work out too well, but other than that I’m just grateful for (coach) Raheem (Morris) and (the assistant coaches). They just allowed me to be myself. So, I can do that, and I’m happy where I am.”

AJC staff writer Olivia Sayer contributed to this article.

Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com

Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com